Pocket engaging holder and case



2 Sheeqbs-Sheet 1 .1 00 00 .00 0.000 0000-000000 wmwwvvvvf 1 M. R. HOWELL POCKET ENGAGING HOLDER AND CASE June 11, 1957 Filed April 26,4 1954 F/G. Z

June 11, 1957 M. R. HwELL POCKET ENGAGING HOLDER AND CASEv 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 26, 1954 8 l l l n l 1 l l l l l nited States Patent POCKET ENGAGING HOLDER AND CASE Martin R. Howell, Newton Highlands, Mass. Application April 26, 1954, serial No. 425,551

Claims. (cl. 24s) This invention relates to an improved carrying case which is designed for use in the pocket of a shirt, jacket or other article of wearing apparel.

In using pocket carrying cases such as are commonly employed to receive eyeglasses, engineers scales, combs and the like, it is relatively easy for such cases to drop out of a garment pocket and become lost, particularly so in the case of a breast pocket in a shirt or a jacket, for example. This `tendency of the case to slip out of the pocket is also objectionable in that it is sometimes diiiicult to selectively remove eyeglasses or some other article without removing the entire carrying case from the pocket.

VrIt is an object ofthe present invention to provide an improved carrying case of the class indicated and to devise a pocket engaging holder and carrying case assembly which can be detachably secured in a pocket to avoid accidental loss and which will, at the same time, permit 'selective withdrawal of one or more articles from the case as desired. Another object is to devise a simple, cheap and easily applied carrying case which is adapted to fit into various sizes of pockets in a Variety of garments, and in which each article carried is firmly gripped, either by the case, as in the instance of eyeglasses, engineers scale and comb, cr by its own clip, as in the instance of pencils and pens.

These and other objects and novel features will be more fully'understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment `of the invention selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings, which Fig. l is a fragmentaryelevational view illustrating the pocket engaging carrying case of the linvention detachably secured in the pocket of a garment which has been diagrammatically indicated;

. Fig. 2 is a plan vcross-.sectional view of a magnetholding device shown in'Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; f

Fig. 4 is 'another cross-section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view of a part of the holder means of the invention;

Fig. 6 is van elevational view of a carrier jcaseelement removed from the pocket engaging holder;

Fig. 7 is a cross-section taken on Vthe line 7 7 .of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view of the carrier case shown in Figs. 6 and 7;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary crosssectional viewfsirnilar ,to Fig. 3 but further illustrating pole pieces of `a magnet device shown in a raised position; and

Fig. 10 is an elevational view of a modified form of pocket carrying case.

Fig. 1l is a cross-section taken on Athe line 11-11 of Fig. 6.

`In 'accordance with the linventionfl provide a pocket engaging holder and .carrying case assembly `which Vis 2,795,923 Patented June 11, 1957 especially characterized by a novel magnet-'holding mechanism and which further includes cooperating magnet parts located on respective surfaces of bo-th the pocket engaging holder and the case.

.Considering this structure more in detail, 'attention is directed to Figs. 1-9, inclusive, wherein I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention. As noted in Fig. l, l have diagrammatically shown a part of `a garment 2, which is provided with a pocket-forming section 4, indicated in cross-section and broken away yto more clearly show the holder assembly of the invention supported therewithin. Numeral 5 denotes a holder element, preferably consisting of an elongated body of spring steel or other material of resilient characteristics. This member includes a pair of coiled portions 6 and 8, which constitute lower corners of the holder and from which extend spaced-apart arms 10 fand 12, as best shown in Figs. l and 5. The coiled portion is for the purpose of obtaining the slight outward tension necessary `on the arms while rigidity in the straight portion of the arms is a desirable construction (see Fig. 10). The holder is not only of a wid-th suitable for placing in the narrowest conventional pocket, but the lengths of the Varms are proportional to the width, which design is responsible for the ability of the holder to stay upright and-not get laskew in the widest shirt pocket.

It is contemplated that the space between these corners will be chosen with reference to the conventional widths of pockets occurring, for example, in shirts, sweaters, jackets and the like, so that by compressing the arms toward one another they may be resiliently fitted between opposite edges of a pocket in the manner suggested in Fig. l. I also provide on the arms lll) and 12, a pair of friction sleeves 14 and 16, which may, for example, consist of vrubber or other suitably tacky material Vadapted to frictionally adhere to fabric surfaces. The friction sleeves are of small outside diameter and take up very little ,use- -ful pocket space. The arms are constructed to Vbear lightly against the sides of the pocket, `thereby eliminating any possibility of damaging the pocket material. When the case is pulled upward, an upward pull is exerted .on the middle of the holder element ,and the long gripping sleeve surfaces are enough to hold, as outward forces are developed along the holder arms by the pull. This is -especially true in very wide pockets. All possible damage to the-pocket is prevented by the length of the sleeve gripping surface. The loweredge of the sleeves may be beveled to prevent them from catching. No .pressures Yfrom .balls or points exist, thereby avoiding damaging the pocket material. These features make the holder suitable for use in all types of material, including knitted material.

At the lower side of the holder element, I provide a special magnet-holding device generally indicated by the arrow M, which is shown in greater detail in Figs. 2, 3 and '4. This device includes a non-magnetic housing 18, through which is received the bottom section of the holder `5, as is 'better shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The yhousing Ais mounted upon an iron base member 20, which is secured bysuitable fastenings 22 and 24 to the holder 5, as partiularly illustrated in Fig. 2. On the base 20 is a nonmagnetic spacer plate 26, which `extends .throughout the length of the housing, as shown. At opposite ends of the housing 18 are mounted pole pieces 28 and 30, which are magnetically held to a magnet member 32, also shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The magnet 32 is normally supported on the spacer plate 26, so ythat small `air gaps are provided at .the lower ends of the pole pieces 28 and :30. The choice of a magnetic material of high permeability for the base member 2th in Fig. 2, is .important since vit functions as a magnetic shunt to attract the iioating pele pieces to it and attract the magnetic lines of force. The

3 action described thereby restricts the number of lines of force which stray beyond the device when the carrying case, denoted by arrow C, is removed. The result is such as to prevent the magnetization of watches and other articles worn by or handled by the person wearing the device.

Tests were made with the magnet holding device M (Fig. l) lying on its side and secured to a table top. A 1s-inch. gauge iron armature suspended by weighing scales was spaced @g2-inch from the side of the holding device `and the amount of magnetic pull measured both with the iron base member 20 (Fig. 2) removed and again with the base member in place. With the base member in place, the magnetic pull was one-fifth of the pull Without the base member, thereby proving the elec.- tiveness in decreasing the stray magnetic lines of force. The cut-away section of the pole piece 40 (Fig. 3) is desirable because of its influence on magnetic circuit characteristics. Without the cut-away section, the magnetic structure would not stay in proper position and the pole piece would not pull away properly from the base member Z (Fig. 2) or effectively hold the carrying case when forces are exerted which tend to cause the case to move away from the magnetic holder. The contours of the pole pieces have been shown by experiment to be the most suitable design for obtaining the performance explained herewith.

The casing 18 is designed to comprise a shielding structure for shielding magnetic effects of the magnet 32, so that no undesirable effects of the magnetic field can be experienced. However, the housing 18 is formed with a pair of slots 34 and 36 at the upper side thereof, as shown in Fig. 2, through which the pole pieces 28 and 30 may move when brought into close proximity to a ferrous metal body. This freedom of the Imagnetic components (pole pieces and magnet structure) to move in the housing permits it to adjust to the position and angle of the plane of the surface of the ferrous metal body being brought in proximity.

In accordance with a further novel aspect of the invention, I have further devised a special carrying case, denoted by the arrow C, and fitted with a magnet sensitive piece which constitutes, in effect, an armature and by means of which the carrying case may be detachably yet rmly secured to the magnet M in the position shown in Fig. l. This armature element is indicated in the drawings by the numeral 38, and is preferably secured by adhesive or other suitable means at the bottom of the casing in a position such that it extends well across the slots 34 and 36 at the top of the housing 18.

When the case is brought into close proximity to the upper side of thehonsing 18, the pole pieces move upwardly through the slots 34 and,36 into contact with the member 38 in the position suggested, for example, in Fig. 9 of the drawings. a strong holding force. Flexibility in movement allows the pole pieces to raise and lower one at a time or both at a time. `This flexibility also allows the pole pieces to move at an angle to the front or to the back when in position in a front pocket. When the carrying case C (Fig. 1) is in the pocket, this construction of the housing and pole pieces permits the carrying case to move up and down, tilt to either side or to the front or back., without being pried or pulled loose from the pole pieces by the normal movements of the person wearing the device.

The novel arrangement and design of the magnetic parts described are chosen such that, when the case is removed from the holder, the pole pieces will automatically move, due to magnetic pull, to a shielding position within the housing 18. In this shielding position, the number of stray magnetic lines of force is very greatly reduced, thereby shielding objects which may be nearby from the intense magnetic field of the permanent magnets. The iron piece 20, on the bottom of the magnet housing 18, provides a return path or circuit for the magnetic In this position, the pole pieces 'exert r lines of force, thereby preventing the existence of stray fields of great density. It should be noted that each of the pole pieces are cut out to define openings, as 40, and this construction of the pole pieces facilitates the 'magnetic holding action so that a maximum magnetic holding force is developed when the pole pieces are in the raised position shown in Fig. 9.

The case C comprises a novel construction which is of a generally rectangular shape and which includes two compartments 42 and 44. In forming the case, I prefer to employ a fairly rigid plastic material, although leather, fibrous products and various other substances may, if desired, be employed. In forming the two compartments, I first separately construct an envelope member 46, which is chosen of dimensions such that it will snugly fit within the size of the outer wall portions of the `casing C, as suggested, for example, in Figs. l and 2. This envelope member may also be formed of a strip of plastic material or other suitable material folded upon itself and shaped with stiffener elements, as 48, which are adapted to be rigidly secured to adjacent portions of the outer casing by some suitable means as, for example, eye rivets 50, at two opposite sides of the case. This envelope member is so shaped that its upper edges normally tend to lic resiliently against one another and a liner element 52 is adhesively secured against inner surfaces of the envelope to provide a soft lining in which may be lightly gripped articles, such as eyeglasses, engineers scales and other items. The outer face, or sheet, of the envelope member is free from the case, not attached, although the sides of the outer case are bent at to form side retaining strips for the envelope. This allows the outer face of the `envelope to move and be sprung out when a large article is inserted, but without a destructive gripping force on the article inserted. The gauge thickness of the envelope will usually be less than that of the case. An inclined lip 54, at the top of the envelope 46, facilitates insertion of articles between the adjacent surfaces of the liner 52. The stiffener elements 48 not only support the sides of the casing C, but also locate the envelope member 46 in a manner such that the inner wall 46a may move toward and away from the remaining section of the envelope to provide additional storage space when needed. The compartment 42 may be used to contain any desired article, and I may also provide in this space an additional holding means or plastic clip of the sort suggested in Fig. 6, for example. This clip may conveniently comprise a separate sheet of plastic material adhesively secured to the envelope member 46, and having resilient folded clip portions 56 and 58, which are especially suitable for firmly retaining articles such as pencils, combs, and the like.

From the foregoing description, it will be evident that I have provided a novel and efficient pocket case assembly which provides for an orderly arrangement of many different articles in a garment pocket, particularly a breast pocket or a pocket in a sweater or similar type of knitted garment. It will be apparent that any desired article may be securely held -in the case and may be removed therefrom with one hand Without the case itself coming away from the pocket, this being due to the fact that, by selecting a proper strength of magnet, any desired holding effect may be developed. It will be further apparent, however, that when it is desired to remove the case this can also be easily done using only one hand and employing suflicient pull to separate the case from the magnet device. Finally, if it is desired to remove the entire unit, this can also be easily done by using one hand to grasp the extended end arms and compress them into a position in which they are free to be pulled away from trated a carrier case C', which, in all respects, corresponds to the case C shown in Figs. 1-9, inclusive, with the ex ception that the bottom of this case C Will be attached to a pocket engaging holder 60, generally corresponding to the pocket engaging holder shown in Figs. 1-9 but not including any magnet structure. The bottom 62 of the holder 60 may be tted into the bottom of the case C in suitable openings provided for this purpose. Various other changes may also be resorted to.

While I have shown preferred embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that still other changes and variations may be resorted to in keeping with the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Iclaim:

1. An improved pocket carrying case comprising a pocket engaging holder element, a carrying case and oating magnet means for ldetachably securing the carrying case and holder element, said oating magnet means for detachably securing the carrying case comprising a loating magnet structure consisting of a magnet and two pole pieces, the said pole pieces being adapted to move independently toward and away from the magnet in advancing into and out of engagement with the said carrying case.

2. An improved pocket carrying case comprising a pocket engaging holder element, a carrying case and floating magnet structure for detachably securing the carrying case to the holder element, said floating magnet structure including a pair of self-aligning cooperating magnet elements, and an armature member secured to the bottom of the said carrying case.

3. An improved pocket carrying case comprising a pocket engaging holder element, a carrying case and a floating magnet structure for detachably securing the carrying case to the holder element, the said floating magnet structure including a pair of movable pole pieces, a

magnet, and a retainer enclosure having a slideway formed v therein for permitting vertical movement of the pole pieces relative to the magnet element.

4. An improved pocket carrying case comprising a pocket engaging holder element, a carrying case, and oating magnet means for detachably securing the carrying case to the holder element, said holder element comprising a U-shaped member the legs of which are resiliently spaced apart, each of said legs having a friction sleeve located thereon andl said legs being slidable in the sleeves when the latter are engaged against opposite sides of a pocket.

5. An improved pocket carrying case comprising a pocket engaging holder element, a carrying case, and floating magnet means for detachably securing the carrying case to the holder element, said floating magnet means for detachably securing the carrying case including a magnet receptacle mounted on said holder element, said magnet receptacle having movably supported therein a magnet 'and spaced-apart pole pieces, said receptacle being further formed with slots through which the pole pieces may extend in one operative position and a magnetizable element secured at one side of the carrying case in a position to be contacted by the movable pair of pole pieces, and said magnet and pole pieces being constructed and arranged so that the pole pieces when free will automatically retract to a magnetic shunt `of high permeability for limiting stray magnetic field forces.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,727,189 Asche Sept. 3, 1929 1,790,763 Pence Feb. 3, 1931 1,864,788 Batchelder June 28, 1932 2,129,018 Martini Sept. 6, 1938 2,211,023 Murphy Aug. 13, 1940 2,475,226 Ellis July 5, 1949 

